DOCK1 Regulates Growth and Motility through the RRP1B-Claudin-1 Pathway in Claudin-Low Breast Cancer Cells

Dedicator of cytokinesis 1 (DOCK1) is a critical regulator of cancer metastasis. Claudins are transmembrane proteins that play a role in epithelial barrier integrity. Due to a loss or low expression of claudins (CLDN), the claudin-low type of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by a mesenchymal-like phenotype with strong metastatic potential. In order to elucidate the mechanism of DOCK1 in cancer metastasis, we first analyzed the transcriptomic changes using a clinical database of human TNBC and found that the increase in DOCK1 expression was highly correlated with the poor survival rate of TNBC patients. Interference with DOCK1 expression by shRNA resulted in re-expression of claudin-1 in conjunction with significant inhibition of cell viability and motility of claudin-low breast cancer cells. Accordingly, overexpression of claudin-1 suppressed cell viability and migration. Genetic knockdown and pharmacological blockade of Rac1/Rac2 up-regulated claudin-1. DOCK1 knockdown also caused a decrease in DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) expression and an increase in claudin-1 transcript and promoter activity. Furthermore, RRP1B mediated DOCK1 depletion, which up-regulated claudin-1 expression, cell viability, and motility in claudin-low breast cancer cells. This study demonstrated that DOCK1 mediates growth and motility through down-regulated claudin-1 expression via the RRP1B–DNMT–claudin-1 pathway and that claudin-1 serves as an important effector in DOCK1-mediated cancer progression and metastasis in claudin-low breast cancer cells.